Progress in Fight Against Child Labor Has Stalled

After having made significant progress in reducing the levels of child labor worldwide between the years 2000 and 2016, that progress has stalled. Between 2016 and 2020 (the latest available data), the percentage of children working in these conditions remained the same, while the absolute number of children working in childhood labor even increased. Of the 160 million children estimated to be in child labor that year, 79 million are believed to have been working in hazardous conditions, directly endangering their health, safety and moral development. This is according to a report published jointly by the International Labor Organization and Unicef.

While there has been continued progress in the fight against child labor in Asia and the Pacific as well as Latin America and the Caribbean, Sub-Saharan Africa has seen an increase in both the absolute number of children and the percentage of children in child labor since 2012.

Outlined in the report are just some of the hazards that children face in different sectors. In agriculture, for example, children may be subject to the exposure of pesticides and other dangerous agrochemicals and have to carry out repetitive movements in awkward body postures, often in extreme temperatures. Children working in mines may have to work in deep, underground shafts, hauling heavy loads and using toxic chemicals, while those working at sea may have to use dangerous equipment and be away from their families for long periods of time.

Another knock on effect of children working in child labor is that they are often out of school, impacting their access to opportunities as they get older. According to the report, Eastern and South-Eastern Asia is the world region with the highest share of children in child labor who were also out of school in 2020, at 37.2 percent. This was followed by Central and Southern Asia (35.3 percent), Northern Africa and Western Asia (28.1 percent), Sub-Saharan Africa (28.1 percent) and Latin America and the Caribbean (15.5 percent).

June 12 is World Day Against Child Labor, observed by the International Labor Organization.